The Green Route with MAREDI Design – Details, episodes & analysis

A meaningful conversation with Mallory Solomon, co-founder and CEO of Salam Hello, a Morocco-based rug company focused on sustainable, ethical production.

Mentioned in this episode:

• SALAM HELLO
• SALAM HELLO ON IG

Have thoughts or comments to share? Feel free to reach out to MAREDI Design at hello@maredi-design.com

A thoughtful and profound conversation with Alison Mears, architect, Associate Professor of Architecture, and Director and Co-founder of Healthy Materials Lab, a design research lab at Parsons School of Design, who's goals aim for healthier spaces and healthier lives.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Healthy Materials Lab
• Healthy Materials Lab on IG
• Material Health: Design Frontiers by Parsons Healthy Materials Lab
• 6 Classes: Chemicals of Concern
• Hempitecture
• Keim Paint

Have thoughts or comments to share? Feel free to reach out to MAREDI Design at hello@maredi-design.com

As the ones who are typically the hosts and interviewers of this podcast, this episode is exploring new territory for us: Marc & Dijana as the interviewees! We wanted to properly wrap up this very first season of our podcast and decided that there was no better way to do so than to share a bit more about our story and how we got here with all of you.

Even though we know each other pretty well and established that there would be no curveball questions per-say, we found that there was even a thing or two to discover from this conversation and some surprise nuggets for both of us.

We'd be delighted to have you all tune into the conversation to learn more about our own individual origin stories as they relate to interior design, why we are so passionate about sustainability and all the reasons why we felt it was so necessary to launch this podcast!

Mentioned in this episode:

• MAREDI Design
• MAREDI Design Highlights
• What’s So Luxurious About Luxury Vinyl Tile - Architizer article (Burgess Brown)
• Chicago Environmentalists (Chicago area)
• EcoShip Chicago
• WasteShed (Chicago area)
• Compost Basics
• Compost Resources - Chicago
• Chicago Citywide Service

Have thoughts or comments to share? Feel free to reach out to MAREDI Design at hello@maredi-design.com

As a small-space and sustainable living expert, Laura Fenton has spent the better part of her career writing about homes within these contexts. Both a journalist and author, Laura's book The Little Book of Living Small along with her Substack newsletter Living Small, offer insight, ideas, actionable items and inspiration for those of us interested in this concept and lifestyle. Laura shares what she believes are the biggest levers that we can pull as individuals to lighten our carbon footprint. Not only does occupying a smaller space reduce your footprint, but she argues that less consumption is also key in this journey. She shares ideas for how we can all approach this notion of less consumption and why it is vital if we really want to effect change.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Little Book of Living Small by Laura Fenton
• Living Small (Laura Fenton)
• Young House Love (Sherry & John Petersik)
• Give a Sh*t (Do Good, Live Better, Save the Planet) by Ashlee Piper
• Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle* by Lloyd Alter
• Carbon Upfront (Lloyd Alter)
• Rewiring America

Have thoughts or comments to share? Feel free to reach out to MAREDI Design at hello@maredi-design.com

As a market-trend insider and observer, Haley Chouinard has built her journalistic career working at the top interior design publications and platforms. Now, as the managing editor of Business of Home, the daily publication of record for the design industry, Haley describes the moment she became interested in sustainable design. Her passion has fueled her quest in exploring how manufacturers are participating in the call and demand for more sustainable products and materials from the interior design industry. A driving force for her is knowing that she can be part of informing designers and industry folks about the newest products, materials and technology that are greatly reducing the carbon footprint of our homes. She has even gone so far as to uncover and explain the incentives that exist from sustainable living, from tax incentives for the homeowner to manufacturer initiatives towards greener products.

Mentioned in this episode:

• BoH
• Cash in on green design (Haley's article)
• Green Row
• Sabai
• Parsons Healthy Materials Lab
• Renovation Angel

Have thoughts or comments to share? Feel free to reach out to MAREDI Design at hello@maredi-design.com

Deeply impassioned by the low-waste movement, Sasha was inspired to create Green Life Trading Co., a refillery and low waste e-shop and brick-and-mortar shop in Madison, WI in her journey to reduce her own environmental impact. She believes in a balanced approach in consumption management and low-waste habits and is a major proponent of "progress over perfection.” This is exactly why Sasha believes that the low-waste movement needs to continue to be inclusive and meet people where they are in order to work towards success. With a focus on closed-loop supply chains and sustainable packaging, she prides herself on the product transparency they offer and believes in an imperfect sustainability model to nurture a greener lifestyle. Educating her customers, both in-store and online, is foundational to her business in order for each person to find the products and level of implication that feels right for them.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Green Life Trading Co.
• Green Life Trading Co. on IG
• The Loop Newsletter
• Ted Talk
• Saffi Saana (E-Shop)
• Green Box (Local Service - WI)

Have thoughts or comments to share? Feel free to reach out to MAREDI Design at hello@maredi-design.com

As the boss [lady] on many construction sites in the Midwest, Allyson Case Anderson, founder of Integro Builders, has a thing or two to say about the importance of assembling the ideal design team to ensure a successful project. She also believes in empowering the homeowner through education about the process in her quest to create transparency and build trust. With significant experience in the realm of historical restoration and remodeling work in Chicago and beyond, she believes that homeowners need to understand how the world affects their house. This is why she emphasizes the importance of building efficiency, performance, and resilience, while also considering the complexities of implementing sustainable solutions across her projects, while never ceasing to raise the bar on industry standards.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Integro Builders
• Integro Builders on IG
• Passive House Certification - Phius House Builder
• Cosentino
• Warmboard

Have thoughts or comments to share? Feel free to reach out to MAREDI Design at hello@maredi-design.com

See you down the Green Route with MAREDI Design!

An inspiring conversation with Elisabetta Quarta Colosso, founder of El Fil Verd, a Barcelona-based architecture practice that embodies values like creativity, responsibility, and respect to deliver projects that leave a lasting positive impact on both individuals and the planet.

Mentioned in this episode:

• El Fil Verd
• El Fil Verd on IG
• Some Work of El Fil Verd
• YouTube Channel - FairCompanies - House in the Woods
• YouTube Channel - FairCompanies - Passive House in Barcelona
• Trombe Wall - Arch Daily
• The Eyes of the Skin - Juhani Pallasmaa

Have thoughts or comments to share? Feel free to reach out to MAREDI Design at hello@maredi-design.com

An insightful conversation with Aleksandra Plewa, founder and CEO of the Chicago non-profit, EcoShip. With a mission to support small-businesses in the community, they aim to collect gently-used shipping supplies and packaging for redistribution, saving costs for business owners while also diverting waste from the landfill.

Mentioned in this episode:

• EcoShip
• EcoShip on IG
• Holiday Collection Campaign - Applications Open October 29th

Have thoughts or comments to share? Feel free to reach out to MAREDI Design at hello@maredi-design.com